15 years of “blogging so you don’t have to”. I had “borrowed” that slogan off another contemporary blogger: Ze Frank – who went on to do bigger things with the net (just in 2005, he was featured in Time Magazine’s “50 Coolest Websites.”). Contemporary. I guess it’s a thing now that we are talking of fifteen years.
I’ve already written in previous anniversaries about the first Blogging generation in Malta that came and went with all the enthusiasm of early adopters, early developers and early quitters. After the first four or five years the blogging world became quieter and would only revive in a different, rival, form with the arrival of instagram and twitter.
There has been much ‘repurposing’ of blogs but J’accuse has remained mostly faithful to its original mission of punditry with a twist. Admittedly the lighter side of the blog had to give way to the more serious aspects dedicated to the social and political development in Malta. In many ways J’accuse remained my bridge to being Maltese – to remaining Gozitan – as my life as an expat unfolded in parallel.
The first post on J’accuse seems to be a lifetime away. Here’s to the start of hopefully another 15 years of blogging.
Ahora tienen suerte los que nunca tienen suerte Y los que murieron podrán evitar la muerte Las cartas me hablan de lo lindo y de lo feo Tus manos las leo y te cuento lo que veo Estan son mis predicciones pa’ que no nos tropecemos El futuro es nuestro cuando ya lo conocemos En el futuro ya no habrá carne de vaca (carne de vaca) En las granjas ya no quedan ni las gordas ni las flacas En el futuro comeremos cucarachas como en China Porque ocupan poco espacio y tienen mucha proteína El país con más insectos controlará las naciones Por eso la nueva potencia mundial (¡Será Mexico cabrones!)
Y las mujeres dominarán toda la población Porque nunca perderán una cabrona discusión En el futuro los hombres caerán en menstruación Y nunca nos entenderán aunque tengamos la razón Los policías racistas seguirán siendo gente mala Pero con tanto tiro los negros se volverán inmune a las balas Al final será una raza nueva la que nos represente Porque los extraterrestres tendrán sexo con la gente El futuro de este verso es que el coro viene más duro Yo predigo que en dos segundos brincarán como canguros
El futuro es nuestro El fu- El futuro es nuestro El- El futuro es nuestro El fu- El futuro es nuestro El futuro es nuestro El fu- El futuro es nuestro El- El futuro es nuestro El fu- El futuro es nuestro
En el futuro yo calculo que tendremos internet en todos lados Porque naceremos con Wi-Fi en el culo Los lobos ya no aúllan Y los monjes no meditan Porque los terroristas explotarán la luna con dinamita En el futuro descubren semen en los evangelios oficiales ¡Y confirman que la biblia fue escrita por homosexuales Con desordenes mentales! (Empezando por Mateo ¡Un caos!) Los religiosos se convierten en ateos Y baja Cristo del cielo a entregarles amor propio Y se dan cuenta de que es negro y de que está fumando opio Y a todo el mundo le da ira Hasta al Papa le dio ira A los creyentes les dio más porque todo era mentira Ya el pecado no es pecado Ya no somos pecadores Somos gente normal, porque normal son los errores Aunque huela mal, abraza al que tienes al lado Los que no brinquen ahora se quedarán en el pasado
Hoy es nuestro momento para que el presente evolucione Lo que siento ahora es lo que siento Y que el futuro nos perdone Hoy es nuestro momento para que el presente evolucione Lo que siento ahora es lo que siento Y que el futuro nos perdone
in spite of everything,
don’t do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don’t do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don’t do it.
if you’re doing it for money or
fame,
don’t do it.
if you’re doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don’t do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don’t do it.
if it’s hard work just thinking about doing it,
don’t do it.
if you’re trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.
if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.
if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you’re not ready.
don’t be like so many writers,
don’t be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don’t be dull and boring and
pretentious, don’t be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don’t add to that.
don’t do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don’t do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don’t do it.
when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.
March 2005. There was a lot of pope about the internet then. Mugabe’s presence at some ceremony got pride of place in the blog commentary though there was no mispronunciation of the word “caso” to set the social media alight. Did I say social media? In March 2005 youtube.com was barely a month old and Facebook was probably just a hint of an idea in some Harvard college.
Then was the time of insanabile cacoethes scribendi – the incredible urge to write. We blogged because we liked to blog and more than that we blogged because we could. Blogging as a mainstream thing had just begun its second decade of existence and was still in the process of causing some tremors in the online landscape. The MSM (mainstream media) reacted to blogs, almost indignantly pooh-poohing the independent army of keyboard freaks who had opened a huge crack in the world of “controlled media”.
Nine years ago blogs might have been an interesting way to get an immediate, independent take on the information going around the web. The thing is that most of that information was still in the domain of the old sources of information. Newspapers, TV and news groups had by then shifted to the net and there slant was not being complemented by the army of bloggers. Blogging was the thing to do… up until the blogger was awarded the Time Personality of The Year. A prize we will long cherish.
Then came social media – particularly facebook and twitter. Information – the sources of information – was multiplied to the nth degree and the power to comment upon anything was also disseminated exponentially. A biting blog post, a review, an insight – that became too slow. The age of clicktivism and clickteraction meant that blogs would be superseded by the outbursts of “trends” and “status updates”. The role of the blog – the real, old style blog – was changing and it was changing fast.
There was also a crucial moment with the rise and crash of Wikileaks and its founder. We learnt in one fell swoop how frugally the “truth” had been treated over all these years. Bloggers could not be so ambitious as to hope to be the guardians of independent and true scrutiny. When the veil of untruth was uncovered by Wikileaks it was already too late. Online meant a web of lies and truths confusingly intertwined. The consumer was not really in control. The netizen was living in denial.
Bloggers can still thrive. There is still a sense in blogging though it is a little different to that in 2005. As J’accuse turns nine we are aware that this medium required redefining and rebuilding. In the world of artificial intelligence and online tautologies spewed by the multitude on facebook and twitter the blog might serve the purpose of an anchor and reference point. I may be wrong. The time for this blog to wind up might have long come and gone.
This might be a blog that is in denial. There might be no place for this kind of reflection in this world of judge, jury and expert executioner by status update and commentary. Then again this might just be the very reason to kick off a new season with a new ambition and purpose.
Illejla għaddej skambju ħelu bejn iż-żewġ partiti. Il-kelma ġġib hekk. jien nibqa konvint li kampanja elettorali bħal din tiswa mitqla deheb għal min janalizza il-filosofija tal-kelma u l-komunikazzjoni – altro che Abelard. Fil-bidu tad-disgħijnijiet l-intellettwali tal-PN (jew dawk li kienu jaqbdu ktieb b’idejhom) kienu jittfantsu b’Karl Popper. Dak kien iwissi ħafna dwar il-perikli tat-televiżjoni u l-użu ħażin tal-midja. Għadda żmienu u m’għadux moda. Ma kellhomx ħin jiskopru lil filosfi a-la-mode bħal Zizek u intilfu fil-mijażma tal-pluri-komunikazzjoni.
Din l-elezzjoni se tibqa imfakkra għall-tsunami ta’ informazzjoni f’direzzjoni waħda. Insewh l-ismigħ u d-djalogu. Ħallikom mid-demokrazija parteċipattiva. Din hija battalja ta’ propaganda bħal ma qatt rajna qabel. Il-partit Laburista għandu sezzjoni fil-paġna tal-kampanja online, jisimha “The Truth”. Iva. Il-Verita’ Tagħhom Ukoll. Carmen Sammut – Kap tal-Magna tal-Ħsieb tal-Labour (Ideat) – illi tagħmel analiżi fuq MT tal-kampanja m’ilux qamet għall-fatt li l-partiti jużaw lingwaġġ diviżiv : proġett TAGĦNA, bomba TAGĦHOM. Mid-dehra l-Labour qisu qed jagħmel sforz li ma jidhirx daqshekk diviżiv… mhux li qed jirnexxilu… pero dak mhux il-punt.
L-ewwelnett il-lingwaġġ tribali u partiġġjan dejjem hemm kien u huwa parti intrinsika mis-sistema li se tibqa hemm kemm iddum is-sitwazzjoni tar-rebbieħ jieħu kollox (winner takes all). Jista Muscat jagħmel sforz u jipprova joħloq immaġini differenti pero dak li hu – immaġini. Din hija l-elezzjoni tal-effetti speċjali. Rajtuh lil Toni Abela fuq Bondi+ jipprova jispjega għalfejn ma joħorġux rapporti? Qallhom li il-PN ma jikkritikawx iżda jdawru l-kliem. U kif qed insemmu dik il-farsa ta’ Bondi+ u TVHEMM, issa għandna ġurnalisti li jaġevolaw partit fuq ieħor billi jpoġġu domandi mhux pertinenti.
Il-partiti jinstabu konvinti li jistgħu jirrepetu li jridu. Jekk tirrepeti gidba għal biżżejjed drabi n-nies jibdew jaħsbu li hi verita. Xi jiem ilu Muscat ħabbar li gvern laburista idaħħal skema fejn tista iġġib espert id-dar u dan jagħtik parir fuq kif qed tikkonsma l-enerġija u kif tista ssir iktar effiċenti. Smajt in-news clip u konvint li qal li din se tkun skema volontarja u b’xejn. Filgħaxija beda jdur klipp nazzjonalist li kien jgħid li gvern laburist kien ser iġiegħlek tirċevi esperti d-dar u li dawn ser jiġu biex il-gvern ikun jaf kemm qed tikkonsma. Speċi ta’ big brother. Gidba. U tal-minimum wage? Tiftakruha? Ħadd ma jaf eżatt min qed jgħid xiex basta ma jaqblux.
Meta Cacopardo dar fuq Simon u Toni u qalilhom li qatt ma se tissolva il-problema għax għalihom din hi “logħba politika” kien jaf sew x’inhu jgħid. Żmien l-elezzjoni qatt ma kien ser ikun mument tajjeb biex wieħed janalizza pjan għall-enerġija. Dan jafu il-partit Laburista li jaf li waqt elezzjoni tinqeda b’nofs veritajiet u mingħajr ma tikxef idejk (iva, se nsemmi l-VAT għax hekk kien ukoll) u jafu l-PN li jaf li biex tgiddeb idea lanqas għandek bżonn argumenti daqshekk sodi (staqsu lil JPO u l-kampanja sostnuta favurih). min ibati? Tbati int. Tbati għax temminhom u tbati għax itik li taqbeż għal wieħed jew l-ieħor.
U issa għandna l-isbaħ waħda. Bdieha l-Prim Ministru. Staqsa lill-Labour min fejn ġejjin il-miljuni li qed jintefqu fil-kampanja elettorali. Ma ridtx nemmen dak li smajt b’widnejja. Dan Kap ta’ Partit li bla mistħija ta’ xejn jinvesti hu ukoll f’kampanja elettorali li jista’ jkun tiġih b’xejn imma xorta tiswa l-flus. Għax iva sinjuri Gonzi u Muscat, mhux kullħadd beċċun. Lil Debono ippruvajtu tgħadduh ta’ miġnun imma xeba jwissi dwar il-liġi tal-iffinanzjar tal-partiti. Tal-Labour ħarġu l-barra mill-kumitat li suppost iddiskuta dat-tibdiliet (bl-iskuża ta’ Justyne Caruana) u baqgħu mhux parteċipi għall-ikbar glorja tal-avvanz demokratiku. U tal-PN jinħbew wara tal-Labour meta qatt ma refgħu sebgħa.
Issa allajbierek jakkużaw lil xulxin dwar spejjeż. D-dejn ma hux fi flus imma fi pjaċiri li se jkollhom jintraddu għax bejn billboards, materjal elettroniku, swali għal laqgħat u xeba affarijiet oħra inutli tinħeba wara l-idea ta’ volontarjat. Din sieħeb tal-voti barra. Għaddew ħames snin oħra u l-PN issa, lejliet elezzjoni meta ma jista jsir xejn, jgħidilna li hu favur. Nilgħab ġidi li l-għada tal-elezzjoni ma jsir xejn. Għax il-kliem fieragħ ta’ qabel elezzjoni ma tridx tqisu. Anzi iktar ma jinsultaw l-intelligenza tiegħek iktar trid tqis li ikun aħjar tivvota għal partit ieħor – biex ma jibqgħux jittrattawk ta’ beċċun li jemmen li flushom jikbru fis-siġar.
U fl-aħħar ma nistax ma nsemmix il-midja. L-alternattiva spiċċaw b’allokazjoni miżera fuq l-iskrin. Sewwa qalulhom ta’ Bis-Serjeta … il-qaħba tal-partiti. Għaliex din id-diskrepanza. Fl-Ingilterra per eżempju din kienet l-ewwel elezzjoni fejn il-LibDems ingħataw l-istess ħin bħall-hekk imsejħa partiti kbar. Ara fejn waslu. Ma hemm l-ebda raġuni għalfejn QABEL l-elezzjoni l-ad ikollha kwota inqas ta’ ħin mill-partiti l-oħra. Naċċettawha bħala stat ta fatt imma fil-fatt l-ebda partit ma għadu kiseb vot wieħed fl-elezzjoni 2013 u allura li naċċettaw li ad huwa partit inqas mill-oħrajn ifisser biss li naċċettaw diskriminazzjoni inġusta ibbażata fuq il-bżonn li ż-żewġ parititi bit-televiżjonijiet fallimentari tagħhom jistgħu jibqgħu ibellgħulna r-ross bil-labra.
U nemmnu li l-flus jikbru fis-siġar…. għax hekk qalulna.
in un paese pieno di coglioni ci mancano le palle.
Hemm rokna f’Paceville fejn bosta jaħilfu li raw l-aħħar tad-dinja. M’hijiex eżattament l-istess tip ta’ rokna bħal dik ta’ Adams fejn wieħed seta jitpaxxa bil-bidu u tmiem l-univers ad eternum waqt li jordna steak biċ-ċips fir-ristorant f’tarf l-univers. Le. Ir-rokna li qed nitkellma dwarha hija waħda kemmxejn mudlama għax ilhom li qatgħu qalbhom li jsewwu l-bozza f’dawk l-akkwati. X’iktarx iva milli le tkun mistura wara karozza ipparkjata eżatt mal-bankina u kemm kemm imqabbża l-barra. F’din ir-rokna ir-riħa hija waħda kiefra u tinten. Danteska. Tifwiq l-iprem għafrid imħallat mal-bass tal-iktar xitan moqżiez ma jibdewx ma riħet ir-rokna fejn tara l-aħħar tad-dinja.
Il-bankina tleqq, lixxa lixxa, għax tgħidx kemm il-boots u żarbun inkallat għadda minn fuqha u ippassiġġja. Ftit il-bogħod għandek issib ir-rifjuti u miżbla tar-ristoranti. Kaxxi mitfugħin fuq xulxin u li imtlew b’dak li ħallew warajhom il-patruni. Il-loqom u l-għadam huma t-truf liminari illi wieħed jilmaħ ftit qabel ma jassisti għat-tmiem tad-dinja qisu bħal donnu dak l-iskanetru f-nofs deżert.
Tarahom in-neofiti neżlin minn żokrot pajjiż il-ħala, ix-xorb u ż-żina. Tagħrafhom jitbandlu f’estasi mistika ta’ edoniżmu li kull ma jmur ikun qed iċedi għar-realta tal-limiti fiżiċi. L-aħħar flixkun jintelaq għal għonq it-triq u l-aħħar tazza tissabbat għal ġewwa xi parappett. Is-sigarett jintefa’ ħesrem u jitkaxkru sa tarf il-bankina fejn tibda x-xena – dejjjem jekk int tkun ippreparat.
U hemm. F’daqqa waħda – hekk kif l-aħħar qtur ta’ gost u sakra jiċċerċru minn ġewwa il-vini tal-akkolit – jinbeda r-rit. “Daqshekk”. Il-ħalfa titlissen jew imqar tinħaseb. “Qatt u qatt iżjed ma terġa tkun.” Il-wegħda solenni tiftaħ id-danzi u kull min hu preżenti jagħraf li wasal il-ħin. U fis jinstemgħu seħtiet diżumani indirizzati lejn Moloch, Baal u Jack Daniels bil-Coke. L-ewwel spażmi vjolenti taċ-ċelebrant jissarrfu f’dagħdigħa ikbar u iktar vjolenti. “Minix se mmiss grokk ieħor ma ħalqi”. Saħħa biex ilissen dik il-wegħda m’għandux iżda il-ħsieb regħedlu s-sentimenti ta’ ġismu bil-qawwa tiegħu.
Ħsiebu fis-sakra itektek bil-għawġ. Il-palpitazzjonijiet mentali jitwaħħdu mal-mewġa rabbjuża li ħierġa minn stonktu. Ma jiflaħx iktar. Qiegħed f’tarf is-sensi u dak l-univers li sa ftit ta’ ħin ilu kien il-wens u l-moħba tiegħu issa sar ħabs li bżonn għandu biss li joħroġ minnu. Dik id-dinja. Dik id-dinja mibnija b’tant investiment, grokk wara grokk, kanzunetta wara kanzunetta – dik l-istess dinja issa ried jobżoqha u jeqridha u le jerġa jara wiċċa.
U l-isplużjoni tasal. Ġismu bħal donnu jiżvojta u mal-vodka u l-martini, man-nachos u l-lumija, bħal donnu iħoss ruħu ħierġa tingħi u tipprotesta. Id-dinja spiċċat. Dak il-ħin ikun lest jaħlef li raha tintemm quddiem għajnejh. Ikun lest jaħlef li ra ‘l Alla. U ftit qabel ma jintelaq għal tulu f’nofs l-univers żgħir ta’ madwaru mitluf minn sensieh ikun lest jaħliflek li illejla d-dinja reġgħet bdiet mill-ġdid.
Hemm rokna f’Paceville fejn bosta jaħilfu li raw l-aħħar tad-dinja. Jekk tmur illejla taf issibhom għadhom qed ilestu. Tgħaġġel xejn, għada jisbaħ ukoll.
